


desperate / uptight / lately unkind

by lafgl



Series: fragile heart [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Female Percy Jackson, Genderbending, Like so much angst, Little bit of Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 08:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22966642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lafgl/pseuds/lafgl
Summary: you know the drill: tumblr prompt for wlw percabeth, twist on the canon "kiss for luck" scene
Series: fragile heart [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553368
Comments: 11
Kudos: 80





	desperate / uptight / lately unkind

**and i watch from afar**  
**you're the knife in my side**  
**but i don't mind**  
**i kinda like it**

**a slow death in pacific standard time ..//.. hunny**

* * *

“Let me come with you."

“It’s too dangerous.” There’s no way she’s letting Annabeth tackle the front lines with her. Even if it is a death wish, it’s one she’s facing herself — but Annabeth doesn’t need to know that. She rallies her focus, listing off a concrete plan: “Help Michael coordinate the defensive line. I'll distract the monsters, and you group up here. Move the sleeping mortals out of the way. Then you can start picking off monsters while I keep them focused on me.” She closes with an appeal to her hubris — “If anybody can do all that, it’s you.” — but it's true. Annabeth is the only one she would put that kind of faith in.

Michael mutters, clearly discontent, “Thanks a lot.”

Percy keeps her eyes trained on Annabeth. She knows better than to try to fight Percy's protectiveness. There’s a flash of _something_ in her eyes Percy can't decipher before she answers, “Alright. Get moving.” 

“What, no kiss for luck?” She wants to slap herself the second the words leave her mouth. If she’s lucky, Annabeth will do it for her. She tries to keep a straight face, despite the panic in her head (and she isn't quite sure how successful she is). Seriousness isn't her _thing_ , but it feels like a step too far, considering how distant they've been lately.

Annabeth doesn’t show a single crack in her demeanor, but Percy can feel the tension leave her body as she pulls her into a hug. “Just come back alive,” her voice softens; Percy doesn't have a chance to wrap her arms around Annabeth before she steps back, readying her dagger. Like the blade she wields, her response is sharp and calculated: “ _Seaweed Brain_.”

It’s the moment that comes to mind later, when she can’t quite shake the feeling of guilt from her mind. Annabeth took that dagger for her. Percy owes her life to her, completely, that part isn't debatable — but the chance that she could've lost _her_ hurts more than she has the ability to explain. Because despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop Annabeth from fighting alongside her, which was both a blessing and a curse. Percy would be dead if it weren't for her, but as it stands, she's also the reason she's hurt. And Annabeth getting hurt was something she tried incredibly hard to prevent. No matter how hard she tries to keep a straight face, she knows it shows. She tries to compose herself the best she can, but seeing Annabeth looking so vulnerable and weak _hurts_.

She asks her, “How did you know?”, because there's no way she could've.

Annabeth looks at her funny. “Know what?”

“My Achilles spot.”

“I didn't, I just... You were in danger, Percy.” The implication is that Annabeth didn’t think twice before taking that blow for her. Or at the very least, not long enough for her brain to remember the fact that Percy was invulnerable. Which makes sense, because she’s spent years fighting at Percy’s side with the stakes much higher, in that sense. But this was a gut reaction. To protect her. Percy doesn't quite have a response for _that_ in her vocabulary that doesn't involve pouring her heart out. So she says nothing.

Annabeth breaks the silence after a while. “Where is it?”

This is Annabeth. If she can't trust her, the rest of the world isn't worth saving. ( _She does. She has to._ ) Percy does; evidently, with her life. She takes Annabeth's hand and guides it to the small of her back. The sensation of her fingers brushing against the spot sends a shock through Percy's body. “There.” It’s like sparks shooting in a million different directions. Whether that's by nature or the fact that it's _her_ gentle touch on the _one_ vulnerable place on her body, Percy has no clue.

“I’m sorry.” She lets her hand fall from Percy’s back. _What could she possibly have to be sorry for?_ “For scaring you.”

She must be really out of it if she's at the point of apologizing. The words don't even sound right coming out of her mouth. “You saved my life. I think that makes us even.”

“Nah, you still owe me for that,” she chuckles, squeezing Percy’s hand. “And maybe some of the other hundreds of times I’ve saved your ass.”

“That's more like it,” Percy mumbles, shaking her head with a laugh, “Yeah, I owe you. What else is new?”

Annabeth doesn't let her hand go. The city is eerily silent. “Get some rest. We need you.” Percy watches her flutter in and out of consciousness as the sun rises over Manhattan. “ _And I d_ _o too._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> i thrive on comments. give them to me :(


End file.
